Which term describes a non-literal expression such as 'raining cats and dogs'?

Which term describes a non-literal expression such as 'raining cats and dogs'?

• A. Idiom
• B. Metaphor
• C. Hyperbole
• D. Irony

Answer: (A)

Raining cats and dogs is an idiom. An idiom is a phrase whose meaning isn’t predictable from the individual words, so you understand the whole expression as a fixed unit. In this case, the expression conveys heavy rain, not literal cats and dogs falling from the sky. This differs from a metaphor, which makes a direct comparison (like saying the rain is a curtain) to suggest similarity, or from hyperbole, which uses obvious exaggeration for effect. Irony would involve saying the opposite of what you mean. So the non-literal, culturally understood expression here is an idiom.

Raining cats and dogs is an idiom. An idiom is a phrase whose meaning isn’t predictable from the individual words, so you understand the whole expression as a fixed unit. In this case, the expression conveys heavy rain, not literal cats and dogs falling from the sky. This differs from a metaphor, which makes a direct comparison (like saying the rain is a curtain) to suggest similarity, or from hyperbole, which uses obvious exaggeration for effect. Irony would involve saying the opposite of what you mean. So the non-literal, culturally understood expression here is an idiom.